Lara Croft for Children?

February 09, 2016
Kate Sykes
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[Originally written for Guns and Grapple.]

I first discovered Tomb Raider when I was 8 years old in the form of Tomb Raider III. I was too young (and scared) to play the game itself and for the first few years, I just ran around the Manor levels of the first three games and pretended I was jumping and climbing on the assault course with this amazing lady called Lara Croft. I instantly found a hero to look up to who remains so to this day. Now, my 6 year old brother is also a big fan of Lara. He likes to watch me play Rise of the Tomb Raider. However, because of the level of violence, there is very little of it he can watch - only the challenge tombs and general exploration to find the extras that I missed.

This gave me an idea…Lara has been reinvented over and over. Could she be reinvented again, this time for children? Even the recent more light hearted tablet/phone games, Lara Croft: Relic Run and Lara Croft GO (rated 9+) , still promote gun use.

Over the years, the Tomb Raider games have been criticised for glamourising this as well harming wild animals. Of course, that can be said for any action game and film in history.

What would happen if we stripped the weapons, the death traps, the bad guys with big guns, the wild beats trying to eat the protagonist for breakfast and make it purely about discovering and adventuring? Would it still be Lara Croft?Imagine a tablet game featuring a classic style Lara with a climbing harness in place of her double leg holsters. She takes you with her on her adventures around the world as you learn about the history and cultures of the countries you visit. Maybe join her on digs and help her solve puzzles as she tells you stories that may have relevance.

This could also be used in schools as a fun educational tool to get children enthusiastic about ancient history and the field Lara works in. No weapons, no violence. Just a strong female character for those of a young age to look up to.

I’d like to start a debate about this. Let me know what you think in the comments below or via the Facebook page and if you like, share this article with your friends.

"Disney Lara Croft" (below) by Slatena. For more fantastic artwork and cosplays, check out her deviantArt page.

Kate is a writer, actress, cosplayer and filmmaker living in the UK. She has written for fansites and guest posted on the Official Tomb Raider Blog. She has also written fan films "Hunted" (based on Tomb Raider 2013) and "Legends" (a Tomb Raider/Uncharted crossover).